


but we can keep loving

by ericawrites



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, a solid star wars reference, based off of a conversation with a friend, bc.... hoo boy..... HOO BOY, but i also want keith to wear it, season 3 episode 1 spoilers btw, this is so self indulgent bc i want to wear lances jacket, uhhh i didnt edit this lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-04 21:37:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11563824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericawrites/pseuds/ericawrites
Summary: Keith is so far lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice when someone drapes something across his shoulders, then sits down next to him.The sudden warmth finally registers in his mind, and he blinks rapidly, looking at the heavy fabric.It’s a jacket.Specifically Lance’s.





	but we can keep loving

**Author's Note:**

> bit of a warning: there ARE (kinda) spoilers for the first episode of season three. i wrote this after talking to a friend abt all the possibilities and i just... whoops lmao
> 
> also!!! the title is from dodie clark's song "no words" which she wrote after the manchester attack. it's very moving and i cried tbh, but i felt as though it fit nicely
> 
> anywho, enjoy!!

Keith is so far lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice when someone drapes something across his shoulders, then sits down next to him.

The sudden warmth finally registers in his mind, and he blinks rapidly, looking at the heavy fabric.

It’s a jacket.

Specifically Lance’s.

He looks up next to him and sees Lance watching him curiously. He has a small smile on his face, though he looks tired. Keith can’t blame him- he’s exhausted too. Keith looks back down at the jacket, then back up at Lance.

“Why did you give me your jacket?” He asks, his voice coming out a lot lower than he thought it would. Lance shrugs, then faces forwards. He brings his legs up to press against his chest, wrapping his arms around them.

“I’m the youngest out of all my siblings, so when ever I’d get upset, I’d go to them for comfort. Something they’d always do is let me wear their jackets, no matter how big they were on me.” Lance starts. Keith feels slightly uncomfortable at the mention of having a loving family, but he shoves that aside quickly.

“Before I left for the Garrison, my big brother, Sammy, gave me that jacket-” Keith looks down at the green jacket, which he pulls on his body better, out of fear that it might slip off. “-for when I was feeling homesick. It was my first time leaving Cuba, so feeling homesick was bound to happen.”

Lance looks at Keith, who finds himself slightly intimidated by his look, though it’s soft and warm and welcoming. “You looked like you needed this jacket more than I do right now.”

Keith finds himself smiling at Lance, who smiles right back. Keith pulls it to wrap it around his torso, tighter, the warmth comforting Keith in a way he hasn’t been before. He looks down at the cold metal flooring. His throat tightens a little, and his eyes get misty.

“Thanks.” He says, and it sounds strained and broken, and it’s so weird to feel that way too. He can hear Lance moving closer to him, but Keith’s gaze at the ground never wavers.

“Do… Can I hug you?”

Keith nods before he can fully comprehend the words, and then he feels Lance press against his side, pulling him in for a half hug. He turns his body to wrap his other arm around Keith, who presses his face against Lance’s shoulder. His chest stirs at the contact, and he feels a few tears slip out. He inhales shakily, and Lance squeezes him tighter. Keith keeps his grip on the jacket firm, not wanting to let go. He doesn’t want Lance to let go either.

He doesn’t want this moment to end.

Lance brings a hand up to run through Keith’s hair, and it’s so nice, it makes his chest constrict and butterflies flutter around in his stomach.

“It’s okay to cry, Keith.” Lance murmurs, and its the final straw for Keith. He breaks, and lets go on the jacket to wrap his arms around Lance.

“He’s gone,” Keith chokes out, lifting his head to rest on Lance shoulder. “He- I already lost him once- and I lost him again-” Keith can’t help the harsh laugh that come from him, though there’s no humor behind it.

“Why do the people I care about always leave?” He forces out. Lance pulls himself away from the hug, and Keith wants to protest, but Lance is cupping his face gently and swiping away the tears.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” He says, and it’s so soft, just like when they were in the Black Lion’s hangar. Keith takes in a shaky breath.

“When?” He asks. Lance shrugs, hands never moving, eye contact never wavering.

“I don’t know, but it will. We’re going to figure this out.” Lance promises. Keith bites his lip, then moves forward to wrap his arms around Lance’s neck, holding onto him tightly. Lance responds immediately, looping his own arms around Keith’s back. He can feel the jacket slip a little, but at the moment, Keith doesn’t find himself caring.

He has something better than a comfort jacket right now.

-

Shiro is back and alive and Keith probably cries for a long time before punching him in his human arm.

“You asshole!” Keith says, and Shiro laughs.

“Love you too little bro.”

Keith freezes, and meets Shiro’s gaze. Shiro’s also stunned, eyes wide like he can’t believe he said that. Keith wets his lips, then hugs Shiro again.

“Little bro huh?” He asks, his voice shaking. Shiro hugs back, careful to not crush him.

“Yeah. You’re annoying enough to be my little brother.”

Keith laughs, and feels himself crying again at the warmth stirring in his chest.

It’s not long before Hunk declares a group hug, pulling Shiro and Keith in first. Lance is soon pressed against Keith’s side, which sends electricity all over his person. Pidge drags Matt in with them, then Coran and Allura soon join.

“Told you.” Lance whispers, and he’s so close to Keith that it sends a shiver up and down his spine. He smiles and rolls his eyes.

“I know.”

-

Nobody has talked yet. None of them want to talk. They’re all silent, not looking at each other, and still in their armor.

Keith stares at the wall across from him, eyes stinging with unshed tears. On his right is Pidge, who’s looking at their hands, and on his left, Shiro, who hasn't looked up from the ground yet. Hunk isn’t in the room- can’t be in the room, and Keith doesn't blame him. He wants to run away, wants to turn back time to where this silence would be broken by Lance saying something, Hunk joining in, and leaving the rest of them to dissolve into laughter.

But instead it’s quiet, and no one has said anything.

Keith can't take much more of this, so he stands abruptly from his chair and speeds out of the room and heads immediately to his own. There, he sheds his armor and puts on his own clothes. He’s about to pick up his jacket when he stops.

Biting his lip, he turns and walks out of his room and to the one next to his. The door slides open, and Keith takes a deep breath before walking in.

As he walks further into the room, the door shuts behind him, and he stares at Lance’s bed sheets rumbled from where he had been lying just a few hours ago.

Keith knows because he was there. He was there with Lance, laughing and talking among themselves, cracking jokes that they’ve made and play wrestling on the bed. He remembers watching Lance take his jacket off to discard somewhere before he tickled Keith mercilessly, until he said that “Lance is the best and most handsome guy in the whole universe.”

He wonders if Lance knows he was being honest.

The jacket is on the floor, just a few steps away from Keith. He hesitantly walks closer to it, then crouches down next to it.

He recalls the words Lance had said all those days ago, taking back the jacket Keith had offered him, not really meeting his gaze, face red and eyes puffy from crying.

“You can use this whenever you want. I won’t mind.” Lance had said, putting the jacket back on. Keith nodded, because that was the only thing he could do. Lance had taken his hand and squeezed it. Keith squeezed back.

Now, Keith finds himself reaching out to let his fingers graze the fabric of the jacket. He wets his lips and blinks back tears, then picks it up. He pulls it on, sliding his arms through the sleeves. They reach to his palms, which he finds comforting, and can almost imagine Lance laughing and leaning closer to whisper, “sweater paws,” before Keith shoves him away, a smile on his own face.

Instead, Keith stands and crosses his arms, casting one last look at the bed before forcing himself out of the room and to his own. He sits on his own bed and curls up against the wall of it, and in an instant, his walls break down. Tears fall from his face as he tries to hold in the ugly sobs, the emptiness of his chest too much to bear. He feels hollow, as he clutches the end of the sleeves tightly. He brings his hands to his chest, curled into fists and cries, cries and cries until he feels like he’s run out of tears to cry.

It’s too much, and he wants to wake up from this dream. He wants to wake up and see Lance joking around with Hunk, teasing Pidge, talking about battle strategies with Allura and Shiro, and listening to Coran talk about Altea, and Lance sharing about Earth in return. He wants to wake up and see Lance grin at him, laugh with him, make Keith smile and forget all of his worries and troubles.

He falls asleep, dreaming to wake up from the nightmare of Lance being gone.

-

No one comments when Keith walks into the kitchen wearing Lance’s jacket.

-

“You’re gonna have to let me go at some point,” Lance croaks out, but Hunk shakes his head.

“Nope, not yet. You left me, your best friend-”

“For the last time, it wasn’t my choice-”

“And it was awful! It felt like I lost part of myself! Don’t ever do that again.” Hunk scolds, talking over Lance, who lets out a breathless laugh.

“You are going to have to let go.” Pidge says, “I need some Lance hugs too.”

“So do I!” Coran says.

“We all do,” Shiro amends. Hunk groans, but lets go.

Keith watches on as Pidge hardly lets Lance breathe before they’re hugging him tightly. They mumble something to him, which makes him laugh and hug back.

Pidge pulls away, wiping a stray tear off if her face. Coran picks Lance up in a hug, who laughs.

“I missed you too.” He says as Coran drops him. Coran places a hand on Lance’s shoulder.

“Don’t ever do that again.” He says, his voice laced with an emotion Keith has never heard come from Coran. It makes Lance tear up and nod.

Allura places her hand on Lance’s elbow once Coran steps away. She’s biting her lip.

“Don’t-” She says, but her voice breaks before she can finish. She ducks her head and presses it against Lance’s shoulder. He pulls her into a hug, which Keith can see that she’s crying, her shoulders shaking as she hugs back. Lance whispers something to her, and it makes her laugh through the tears. She pulls back, wiping away her tears. Shiro steps away from Keith’s side to bring Lance into a half hug, which Lance turns into a full one.

“You’re not getting out of the hug train, Shiro.” Lance says, and Shiro laughs.

“Neither is he,” He says, gesturing towards Keith with his head. Keith doesn’t meet Lance gaze that flickers to him, looking at the ground and pulling at the sleeves of Lance’s jacket-

He’s still wearing it.

Oh God, he’s still wearing Lance’s jacket.

He can hear Lance move away from his hug with Shiro. He comes closer to Keith, who looks at him through his bangs. Lance’s face looks a few shades darker, though there’s a smug smirk on his face.

“You’re wearing my jacket.” He points out. Keith lifts his head all the way, crossing his arms.

“You said I could.” Keith defends.

“I didn’t think you actually would.” Lance admits with a laugh, and Keith can’t help it and hugs him, looping his arms around Lance’s neck. Lance responds, his arms wrapping around Keith’s back and pressing his head into the crook of Keith’s neck.

“I missed you,” Lance mutters. 

“I missed you too.” Keith responds, his voice low in a whisper.

Lance pulls away from the hug after a quick squeeze. Keith moves to take the jacket off, stuttering out something, but Lance stops him.

“I do want it back eventually, but you can uh, keep wearing it for now. It suits you.” Lance says, a small smile on his face. Keith responds with his own, pushing the jacket back up on his shoulders.

“Nice Star Wars reference.” Hunk says. Pidge snickers, and Lance’s expression drops to a scowl, his face flushing. Keith rolls his eyes, then lifts the sleeves up.

“Sweater paws.” He offers, and Lance laughs, then pulls him into another hug.

**Author's Note:**

> follow my tumblr!!! @jfcmcclain


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